Loser (film)
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| Loser | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Amy Heckerling |
| Produced by | Twink Caplan John M. Eckert Amy Heckerling |
| Written by | Amy Heckerling |
| Starring | Jason Biggs Mena Suvari Zak Orth Greg Kinnear Jimmi Simpson Dan Aykroyd |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 20 July 2000 |
| Running time | 98 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 000 000 |
| IMDb profile | |
Loser is a 2000 romantic comedy film starring Jason Biggs, Mena Suvari and Greg Kinnear. It is about a small town teenager who is accepted into New York University and must cope with the pressures of the city.
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The plot focuses on hapless college student Paul Tannek (Biggs), who has moved from a small town in the midwest and is attending New York University on a scholarship. He finds bad luck everywhere, with his roommates causing problems, his grades slipping, and his inability to make any friends.
But that's when he meets Dora (Suvari), a seemingly perfect student, trying to support her education by tending bar and commuting back to Westchester nightly. Paul befriends her and soon falls in love with her, but is crushed to discover she is involved in a clandestine relationship with one of their professors.
The film was met with mostly negative reviews[1], with Roger Ebert giving the film only two stars[2]. It scored 4.3/10 at Rotten Tomatoes, with a rotten rating of only 25%.
The film generated a total of $15.6 million in the US. It failed further when released worldwide, grossing a total of just $2.7 million. The film was therefore unable to break even on its production costs, let alone make a profit. Additionally, because film makers only receive half of the box office gross, the film would have fallen short by at least $10 million[3].
In addition to failing to please the critics, it is also noted that the film has made light of the serious issue of date rape at college campuses by means of rohypnol, a widely-known date rape drug [4]. In the film, it is referred to as "rope," and it is known that the guys slip them into the drinks of women at parties unbeknownst to them, rapes them while unconscious (though the film steers clear of calling it rape), and sends them back home unconscious in a cab. (Direct quote from the movie: "Checkers or Yellow? I just want to know who to call when we're done.")
Loser contains several cameos, the most notable of which is David Spade's cameo as a video store clerk who advises Paul on which film to rent, as well as a cameo by stand-up comedian Steven Wright as the "bar dude". Andy Dick also has a small role as the "office clerk". Rock band Everclear also make an appearance when Paul buys tickets to go to their concert in an effort to befriend Dora. Several other smaller cameos include Colleen Camp as a homeless woman who helps Dora at the beginning of the film and Alan Cumming at the Cabaret scene (the male lead).
| Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- This is the second film to star both Jason Biggs and Mena Suvari, the first being American Pie
- The name Dora Diamond is an allusion to Dora Diamant
- Christina Ricci turned down the role to play Dora Diamond. She would later appear as Jason Biggs's love interest in two other movies: Anything Else and Prozac Nation.